Ohio State vs. South Carolina: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info and More

A week after suffering their first defeat of the season, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes try to record their first win away from Columbus when they take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. Star PF Jared Sullinger, who missed the Buckeyes’ loss at Kansas with back spasms, returned to the court on Wednesday and is expected to play against 4-5 South Carolina. 

Where

Colonial Life Arena

When

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Watch

ESPN, or live stream at ESPN.com

Listen

Ohio State: ESPN 1460

South Carolina: WNKT 107.5

Betting Line

Ohio State—14 ½, according to BetOnline.com. Even if Sullinger isn’t 100 percent yet, the Buckeyes should be able to cover (if not by too much) against an overmatched Gamecocks team.

Key Injuries

None

What’s At Stake?

For South Carolina, an upset win here would be the highlight of their season and give them some serious confidence heading into SEC play. For the Buckeyes, a win on the road and a solid showing from Sullinger would ensure that they’re back on track after the tough loss in Lawrence.

What They’re Saying

Buckeye point guard Aaron Craft knows that the OSU offense needs to adapt to Sullinger not doing everything himself. “That’s on us as guards…to move and cut and not let the defense stay stationary,” he told the Zanesville Times Recorder.

The Gamecocks have an adjustment of their own to make as football player Bruce Ellington works into the team’s rotation. After the sophomore guard scored 15 points against Presbyterian on Tuesday, coach Darrin Horn told ESPN, “Once a couple [of shots] went down for him he seemed to regain his confidence.”

Ohio State Player To Watch

SG William Buford will pick up the offensive slack if Sullinger is limited again. He’s scoring 16.3 points a game on the year and poured in 21 in the loss at Kansas.

South Carolina Player To Watch

Sophomore PF Damontre Harris is blocking 2.2 shots a game, so he can obviously play a little defense. Whether that will be enough to help him slow down Sullinger is another question entirely.

Key Matchup

Ohio State PG Aaron Craft vs. South Carolina PG Bruce Ellington. Ellington, a wide receiver for the football team, is the most talented player on the Gamecock roster, but is still getting into the swing of the basketball season after missing the first four games. He’ll be hard-pressed to put up big numbers against Craft, a first-class defender who’s recording 3.0 steals per game.

Prediction

Sullinger will probably play limited minutes here as the Buckeyes will cruise even with him on the bench. South Carolina just doesn’t have the scoring (62.8 points a game) to keep up with the deep OSU backcourt.